Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek: Lower Decks#2!
Move overStar Wars!At long last,Star Trekhas its own version of the iconic lightsaber–but which version is the best? BothStar TrekandStar Warsfeature a number of cool weapons, be they phasers, blasters, photon torpedos–or lightsabers.The lightsaber is one of a kind in science fiction, but now they have come to theStar Trekuniverse–sort of,inStar Trek: Lower Decks#2.
Star Trek: Lower Decks#2 is written by Ryan North and drawn by Derek Charm. The “Lower Deckers” find themselves at the mercy of the Excalibans, who want Boimler and company to engage in fights for their amusement. Boimler gives a pep talk to the Excalibans, convincing them of the error of their ways. As the Excalibans prepare to return them to theCerritos,they show the Lower Deckers what they could have had: “energy swords.” As Boimler and the rest are beamed away, Mariner rues not having an energy sword.
Star Wars’Lightsabers Are Pop Culture Sensations
It Was Only a Matter of Time BeforeStar TrekCreated Their Own Version
The lightsaber, described inA New Hopeas an “elegant weapon for a more civilized age,” is warp and woof in theStar Warsfranchise. The primary weapons of the Jedi and the Sith, lightsabers, are one ofStar Wars’biggest contributions to the pop culture landscape. Over the years, variations of the standard lightsaber have been introduced, such as Darth Maul’s double-bladed model or Count Dooku’s lightsaber, which was shaped like a scimitar.Replicas of lightsabers remainpopular gifts for people of all ages. George Lucas and his collaborators created something special with lightsabers.
BothThe Blues BrothersandTwin Peakshave received shout-outs onLower Decks, and now it isStar Wars’ turn.
With the lightsabers’ ubiquity in pop culture also comes parodies, andStar Trek, which is often viewed as at odds withStar Wars, gets one of its own.Star Trek: Lower Decksis the perfect venue for such a sendup.Lower Decksnot only makes numerous references to otherStar Trekshows, but other pop culture franchises as well. BothThe Blues BrothersandTwin Peakshave received shout-outs onLower Decks, and now it isStar Wars’ turn. Far from being mean-spirited, however, the callout is funny, and a touching tribute from one franchise to another.
For trademark reasons,Star Trek’slightsabers cannot be called that. Instead, the Excalibans refer to them as “energy swords,” but the design is unmistakably a lightsaber.Holographic recreations of Scottyand T’Pol duel with their “energy swords.” Scotty’s resembles a traditional, single-bladed model used by most Jedi, whereas T’Pol’s looks a lot like Darth Maul’s. The energy swords are undeniably cool, and the Lower Deckers realize this. Unfortunately, they are dispatched back home before they can change their minds about not fighting.
Fans May Never SeeStar Trek’sLightsabers Again
Another unfortunate aspect ofStar Trek’slightsaber variants is that fans will never see them again.The energy swords were created by the Excalibans, a highly advanced race capable of manifesting thoughts. As such, the energy swords are peculiar to the Excalibans. They do not have relations with Starfleet or the Federation, meaning no exchange of culture or technology. When the Excalibans sent the Lower Deckers home, they kept the knowledge of the energy swords–much to Mariner’s dismay.
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The existence ofStar Trek’senergy swords raises questions over whether they are better thanStar Wars’lightsabers. Unfortunately, fans may never know.Star Trek: Lower Decks#2 only provides a fleeting glimpse of the energy swords, and not enough to form a basis for comparison. It can be assumed that the energy swords are exact duplicates of the lightsaber, meaning that any fight between the two would most likely be evenly matched. This parallels the eternal pop culture debate over which franchise is the best, one for which there is no easy answer.
